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Paula's Choice Resist Super Antioxidant Serum Versus Paula's Choice Resist Triple Active Total Repair Serum

Paula's Choice Resist Super Antioxidant Serum Versus Paula's Choice Resist Triple Active Total Repair Serum This anti-aging serum is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Paula's Choice Resist Super Antioxidant Serum Versus Paula's Choice Resist Triple Active Total Repair Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Retinyl Propionate to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Cyclopentasiloxane

Dimethicone

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Ceramide NP

Tocotrienols

Tocopherol

Ubiquinone

Thioctic Acid

Tocopheryl Acetate

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Ferulic Acid

Beta-Glucan

Superoxide Dismutase

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Ergothioneine

Glutathione

Xanthophylls

Glycine Soja Seed Extract

Glycerin

Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract

Lupinus Albus Seed Extract

Curcuma Longa Root

Elaeis Guineensis Oil

Phenoxyethanol

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Ceramide NP, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol, Ubiquinone, Thioctic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ferulic Acid, Beta-Glucan, Superoxide Dismutase, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Ergothioneine, Glutathione, Xanthophylls, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Glycerin, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Curcuma Longa Root, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Phenoxyethanol

Water

Isopropyl Myristate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Niacinamide

Hydroxystearic Acid

Oryza Sativa Bran Oil

Retinyl Propionate

Hexylresorcinol

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Cetyl Alcohol

Castanea Sativa Leaf Extract

Hydroxyacetophenone

Ceramide AP

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Hydroxide

Dilauryl Thiodipropionate

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Sodium Phytate

BHT

Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Hydroxystearic Acid, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Tocotrienols, Retinyl Propionate, Hexylresorcinol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cetyl Alcohol, Castanea Sativa Leaf Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ceramide AP, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Dilauryl Thiodipropionate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Phytate, BHT

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Tocotrienols are a lesser known form of Vitamin E with skin conditioning and UV absorbing properties.

The most common form of Vitamin E in skincare is Tocopherol. Tocotrienols have a slightly different molecular structure; their "tail" is more flexible and unsaturated. This actually helps them absorb into skin more easily and integrate into cell membranes more efficiently.

Research suggests tocotrienols can help with several signs of skin aging, including:

There are four types of tocotrienols: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.

Fun fact: You can find tocotrienols in ingredients like rice bran oil, palm oil, anatto beans, oats, and hazelnuts.

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03C13-14 Isoparaffin is a synthetic emollient, solvent, and thickening agent. It helps soften skin and improves spreadability without leaving a greasy residue.
  4. 04This ingredient has been found to be non-sensitizing and safe for use in cosmetics.
  5. 05Two things floating around online that cause fear-mongering:
  6. 06There's one scary-sounding study related to kidney tumors in male rats; this depends on a protein called alpha-2u-globulin that binds the ingredient and clogs up kidney cells. Female rats barely make this protein, and humans don't make it at all so …
  7. 07The other thing you'll see is 1,4-dioxane being a trace byproduct that can form during manufacturing of petroleum-derived ingredients. This is a real, but heavily managed/monitored issue. This byproduct is removed through purification steps before t…
  8. 08One last thing to note: this ingredient is a pure hydrocarbon with no fatty-acid or ester chains for Malassezia to feed on, so it's considered fungal acne safe.
  9. 09Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
  10. 10Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
  11. 11In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
  12. 12While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
  13. 13Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
  14. 14This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
  15. 15This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures…
  16. 16Laureth-7 is created by the ethoxylation of lauryl alcohol using ethylene oxide. Lauryl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with hydrating properties.
  17. 17This ingredient is an emulsifier and cleansing ingredient. As an emulsifier, it is used to prevent ingredients from separating. It also helps cleanse the skin by gathering dirt, oil, and pollutants to be rinsed away.
  18. 18Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
  19. 19It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
  20. 20On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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03

Comparison edit

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